Today Amazon announced its new generation of Fire tablets . Packed with new features and upgraded specs, the tablets are still highly affordable, which is a huge plus.
First up is the new Fire HD 8 . It features up to 10 hours of mixed use battery life, an 8-inch HD display, a quad-core processor, and — newly — hands-free access to Alexa. That's something that the Fire HD 10 tablet has had for awhile, but this is a first for the Fire HD 8 . You can upgrade the storage, too, up to 400GB depending on what microSD card you go with.
In addition, the tablet now has Show Mode. This gives your tablet some of the same features that the Echo Show has. You can use your voice to ask Alexa to show you the news or weather, play a song, call a family member, control your smart thermostat , and more. If Show Mode sounds like something you'll use frequently, you can pre-order the Fire HD 8 with a Show Mode dock for $94.99, or £109.98 in the UK . The dock will automatically switch your tablet to Show mode.
There are four different color options to choose from, all starting at $79.99. You can pre-order the new Fire HD 8 and it'll start shipping around October 4th.
Next up, there's a new addition to the Fire Kids tablet lineup. The new Fire HD 8 Kids Edition , which is available for $129.99 as a pre-order, has lots of upgrades to enjoy. It features the same display and specs as the Fire HD 8, but with more kid-friendly software. There are multiple customizable profiles, up to two for adults and up to four for kids. This is $30 more than the Fire 7 Kids Edition , but the upgrades are worth it.
The purchase includes a year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, which can now be used in Spanish, which gives kids access to over 20,000 books, videos, apps, and games that are all age-appropriate. The newly-designed FreeTime makes it easier for kids to use it, and it has awesome parental controls too. You can set time limits, bedtimes, age filters, and the content that kids can see. You can even disable the web browser. You'll also be able to view screen time statistics and restrict non-educational content until they've met their learning goals for the day. After your free year runs out, you can get FreeTime Unlimited for $3 per month.
By far the most alluring feature of these tablets is the kid-friendly warranty. For two years, Amazon will replace your tablet. No questions asked. Did they throw it out the car window? Step on the screen and shatter it? Leave it outside in the rain? Amazon gets that kids are hectic, and this warranty makes your life a little easier should something happen.
Head over here to pre-order the new Fire HD 8 or the new Fire HD 8 Kids Edition .
